The aim was to clarify what coping functions are served by certain health behaviours when used as coping strategies. A preliminary questionnaire was used to identify individuals scoring high on eating (unhealthily), exercise or self- care as a coping strategy. These individuals completed a further questionnaire to elucidate the specific coping functions being served by their eating, exercise or self-care. Principal components analysis produced five coping function variables: Problem Solving, Feeling Better, Avoidance, Time Out and Prevention. Discriminant analysis (coping functions predicting coping strategy group) produced a Prevention with Problem Solving function, on which the exercise and self- care groups were high compared with the eating group; and a Time Out without Problem Solving function, on which the exercise group was high compared with the self- care group, the eating group being intermediate. Thus health behaviours used as coping strategies can serve not only problem-focused, emotion- focused and avoidance functions, but also time out and prevention functions.
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